


The Carter Conundrum

by minty_stripes



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Natasha/Peggy friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 15:04:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3213539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minty_stripes/pseuds/minty_stripes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha Romanoff is seventeen and has just joined SHIELD.  She's called to the Director's office, and a new chapter in her life begins.<br/>In which Peggy Carter and Natasha Romanoff are the ultimate best friends, and Peggy raises Natasha more than anyone ever has.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Carter Conundrum

**Author's Note:**

> I just really needed a fic for Natasha and Peggy as like, the ultimate bros. I get that I'm throwing out a lot of canon here, but god I needed to write this.

She’s given a suit, it’s tight and dark navy blue and has matching boots and a new utility belt.  She keeps her weapons, her widow bites and her stings and her Black Widow belt, the little splash of red on her waist that identifies her as everyone’s worst nightmare.  The patch on her shoulder that identifies her as an agent of good is something she’ll never admit to staring at for hours in the mirror.

                She’s been summoned to the Director’s office.  She’s never met the Director of SHIELD, but from the things she’s heard about her, Natasha respects the woman greatly.  She knows she was one of the founders of SHIELD and is in her early eighties, but the agents she’s met so far all seem to be scared shitless of her despite her age.  She reaches the door on the top floor and knocks loudly.

“Come in.” She pushes the door open and walks into the office.  There’s an elderly woman with long grey curls sitting at a large desk with a wall of windows behind her, overlooking the city.

“Good morning Agent Romanoff.” The woman begins, standing from her desk and walking around it to extend a hand to Natasha.  Natasha shakes it with a small smile.  An incredibly firm handshake that she wouldn’t have expected.  Natasha can feel the beginnings of a power play.  She’s so fucking sick of power plays.

“I’d just like to formally welcome you to SHIELD, and let you know that if there’s anything you ever need, please come to me, not that you couldn’t handle it, but I’d like you to know that I’m here for whatever you need.”  Natasha wants to sign in relief.  She likes this woman, she respects her, and she doesn’t feel like she’s being belittled.

“An open favor from the director of SHILED?  I have to say, I’m extremely flattered.” The woman smiles.

“Let’s call it a favor from a friend Natasha.” Natasha’s a bit taken aback, first that this woman would call her a friend immediately after meeting her, and secondly that she would address her so familiarly.

“I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage Director, I don’t even know your name.”

“You know my name.” Natasha keeps her face still, but yes, she does.  Margaret Carter, served in the SSR during WWII, worked alongside Captain America and the Howling Commandos, founded SHIELD with Howard Stark after the war, had been serving as the Director of SHIELD alongside Howard Stark since its founding, has been the sole Director of SHIELD since Howard’s unfortunate death nearly ten years earlier.  High level target, extremely dangerous, Natasha had been sent to kill her when she was fourteen.

“You tried to kill me three years ago.”

“I had my orders Margaret.”

“You were a child.”

“I was a weapon.”

“You’re still a child.” Natasha grins.

“I’m your weapon now Margaret.”

“Peggy, it’s Peggy.”

“Well Peggy I’m all yours.  Point and shoot carefully, I won’t miss my mark.”  Peggy leans on the front of her desk, arms crossed over her chest as she regards Natasha carefully.

“I was actually wondering if you’d come to a movie with me.” Natasha actually does let a flicker of surprise through her mask at that.

“A movie?” Peggy nods, face unchanging.  “Don’t we have work to do?”  Peggy shrugs.

“I didn’t build this organization to only function when I’m here.  Come on, we won’t be missed darling.”  Natasha finally shrugs.

“Okay then.”  Peggy smiles at her and grabs her purse from behind her desk and hands Natasha her jacket.  Natasha zips herself into Peggy’s jacket, it hangs off of her shoulders and swallows up her arms, but she zips it up to the neck to cover the top half of her uniform.

                They take one of the black sedans into town, to a movie theater Peggy says she likes, and lets Natasha pick the movie.  She picks at random, more focused on trying to figure out Peggy’s motives than on what movie she’s pointing to.  Peggy buys two tickets, a small popcorn, and a chocolate malt.  Natasha walks next to her silently and sits next to her in the theater.  She picked some animated movie, she’s not really paying attention.  She’s watching Peggy carefully.  The older woman is concentrating on the movie, eating popcorn absently and taking small sips of her malt.  She holds the popcorn bag out to Natasha without taking her eyes from the screen.  Natasha stares for a moment before taking a few kernels and eating them.

“Isn’t this a kids movie?” Natasha asks quietly.

“You’re seventeen, if anyone asks, we’re a grandmother and her granddaughter enjoying a late afternoon movie.”  Natasha thinks it over for a long moment.  Peggy called her a friend, Peggy excused the fact that Natasha had once had orders to kill her, Peggy lent her her jacket without a second thought, Peggy took her out to a movie in the middle of the day and shared her popcorn with her.  Natasha isn’t quite sure how she should react.  She’s had experience with people trying to bond with her and then use her.  She’s hoping this isn’t the case with SHIELD, Clint wasn’t one of those people, she knows Peggy isn’t too.  But she can’t help the feeling.

“Darling really, I just want to enjoy a nice afternoon with you.”  Peggy finally looks over at Natasha, and Natasha watches her back.  Peggy holds out her chocolate malt.  “Want a sip?”  Natasha takes one after a second and hands Peggy back the malt.

“I know a little diner we can go to for dinner after the movie.” Natasha offers.  Peggy grins.

“Of course dear.”

O.O

                They’ve just paid the bill and Natasha is finishing her cheese steak when it happens.  She sees the small glint of the knife in the metal of her shake cup and whips around impossibly fast to grab the woman’s wrist.  She snaps it with ease and the knife drops from her grip, Natasha pins her to the floor with a knee in the middle of her back and one arm twisted painfully behind her back.

“Yelena I’m going to break your neck if you try anything else and you know it.” The blonde on the floor stops struggling against Natasha and sighs.

“You left.”  Natasha twists her arm even more and Yelena lets out a sharp gasp of pain.  Peggy is standing over them, gun in hand trained steadily on Yelena.

“I escaped.  You stayed.  They’ve sent you after me, but you won’t be going back to them.”

“Natasha, who is this?” Peggy asks calmly.

“One of the agents from the Red Room.  She’s been sent to kill me.  I’ll take care of it.” She digs the knife into Yelena’s side and the blonde studiously keeps her mouth shut tightly.

“Agent Romanoff, stand down.” Natasha tucks the knife into her belt but doesn’t ease up on Yelena.  Peggy has a cell phone out and is calling for backup.

O.O

“You’re going out with the Director again?” Natasha nods and zips up her jacket.  Clint passes her the set of knives she carries with her everywhere and she tucks them into her boots.

“She made lunch and we’re heading to Central Park.”

“Don’t get killed okay Little Spider?”  Natasha throws a balled up pair of socks at his head and it hits him squarely in the eye.  “I deserved that.”

“You bet you did Bird Brain.”  She leaves the gym with a grin and a playful kiss blown in Clint’s direction.  He sticks his tongue out at her and goes back to his arrows.

                They’re sitting on a blanket in Central Park, watching the day pass by.  Peggy made goulash from a recipe she’d found in an Eastern European cookbook and Natasha is entrenched in a memory of a time long ago, a time she barely remembers from before the Red Room and before the KGB.  She isn’t sure of the context, but she remembers the goulash and she remembers the cold and a warm hand on her shoulder.  It’s nice, sitting in Central Park with Peggy, eating goulash and just watching New York pass them by.  Natasha’s been with SHIELD for a few months now, and has been enjoying her new job more than she thought she would.  She spends her days being sent on missions with Clint, who’s only a few years older and the best marksman she’s ever seen, and spends her evenings with Peggy, going to movies and making dinner together and reading books quietly in Central Park.

“How’s Strike Team Delta?” Peggy asks quietly.  Natasha grins involuntarily and takes another spoonful of her soup.

“We’re great, really.  He’s teaching me to use a bow.”

“You know how to use a bow.” Natasha nods, smiling.

“He doesn’t know that.  It’s cute watching him try to teach me.”

“I’m glad you’re getting on with your partner so well.” Peggy opens a can of coke and passes one to Natasha.  She takes a sip and lays back on the blanket, staring up at the passing clouds.

“Do you think I’ll ever feel better about this?”  Peggy sets down her soda and lays back as well, taking one of Natasha’s hands in hers.

“I think there are things we’ve all done that we’ll never be able to truly atone for, but you’re a strong girl Natasha.  You’re going to do well in this new world.”  Natasha smiles over at Peggy and kisses her cheek.

“Thanks Pegs.  For everything.”

“My pleasure darling.”  They lay back and hold hands and let themselves just relax, away from the world of spies and murderers and gangs, away from global politics and global disasters and lost pasts and lost lives.

                There’s a mugging on the subway on their way back.  Peggy elbows the man in the stomach and then slams her elbow into the back of his neck when he doubles over and he falls to the floor.  Natasha holds him down with a foot on his neck while Peggy retrieves the wallet of the woman he’d mugged.

“You’re saying this woman took him down?” The policeman is asking one of the other passengers from the subway car.

“Yes, the old woman elbowed him and then a second later the redhead was holding him down by the neck and the old one was taking the wallet back.”  The policeman points his pen at Peggy.

“That her?  You’re telling me that eighty year old woman took down a twenty year old mugger?”

“Yeah.  You should’ve seen her, it was amazing.”

“Okay, thank you ma’am.”  He walks over to Peggy and Natasha, who have neutral expressions on their faces as they wait.

“So you two stopped the mugger?”

“Yes sir.”

“Well you did a good job with that, but was it really you?”  Peggy arches an eyebrow at him and Natasha has to hold herself back from laughing.  He doesn’t know what he’s just gotten into.

“Of course it was me.  I may be an old woman but that doesn’t mean I can’t take down a criminal when I need to.”  He turns to Natasha.

“You helped?”

“Once my grandmother had him down yes.”  The policeman frowns but writes everything down anyway.

“So you’re her granddaughter?”

“Yes sir.”  He nods and writes that down.  Peggy hands him a business card.

“You can get in contact with us here if you need to.”  He takes the card and thanks them, Natasha knows it’s a fake card, she’s got a whole stack of them in her own purse.  Natasha hooks her arm through Peggy’s and they walk back to Peggy’s apartment together.  Sharon’s waiting for them, sitting in the living room and watching a movie.

“Oh hey guys.”

“Hiya Sharon baby.” Natasha croons with a grin, standing behind the couch and draping her arms around Sharon’s shoulders from behind.  Sharon hits her hands playfully and pulls Natasha onto the small couch with her.  Peggy smiles at them fondly and goes to put the picnic basket away.

“Girls would you like some tea?”

“You got any Early Grey Aunt Peggy?”  Peggy laughs and sets a kettle on the stove.

“Darling you brought some over yesterday, I haven’t had it all yet.”  Natasha raises a hand from the couch where she’s practically sitting on Sharon, taking up as much space as possible and practically daring Sharon to challenge her.

“I may have had a few cups this morning, there’s not as much left as you might think.”  Peggy laughs.

“I figured, you left lipstick stains on your favorite teacup.”

“Pretty sloppy yeah?” Natasha asks.  Peggy smiles.

“You’re allowed to be comfortable here dear.”  Natasha gives Peggy an appreciative smile and turns back to Sharon.  Peggy pulls three teacups down from the cupboard.

“Do anything fun in school today Sharon?”  Sharon shrugs.

“We had career counseling.  Apparently, I’m well equipped to,” she sits up straight and puts on a mock-serious face, “input data in a large corporation, teaching, or design.  That makes no sense does it?”  Natasha shakes her head.

“They don’t even have anything in common.”  Sharon laughs.

“I know right?  High school counselors have no idea what they’re talking about.”

“No one really does.” Natasha answers with a little smile.  Sharon shoves her playfully.

“God Nat, so serious.”  Natasha gives Sharon her best shit-eating grin.

“Well I’m a very serious person Share Bear.”  Sharon glares.

“We’re not using that nickname anymore and you know it.”

“Ah you love me don’t deny it Share Bear.”

“I’m gonna kick your ass if you’re not careful Romanoff.” Natasha sits up, back straight and arms out to the side, pointing at Sharon with both hands.

“Bring it on baby.” Sharon lunges across the couch and knocks Natasha off of it, pinning her to the floor easily.  Natasha’s laughing as she flips them over and holds Sharon down.

“C’mon Share Bear.” Natasha teases.  Sharon grits her teeth and wraps her legs around Natasha’s shoulders and flips her off.

“Girls!” Peggy scolds as Natasha goes sliding across the living room floor and bumps into the coffee table.  Sharon and Natasha look over at Peggy guiltily.  She’s standing in the living room doorway with a tea tray and frowning at them.  They both jump up at the snap in her voice and take their tea cups.  Peggy sits down in the loveseat and Sharon and Natasha cram back together on the small couch and they settle in to watch the movie.

                The movie’s nearly over when Trip shows up.  He’s got a small box with a large bow and is grinning at them all.

“Hey Grams.” He greets them with a crooked smile.  Peggy gets up from the chair and pulls him into a tight hug.

“Oh hey darling.  I didn’t expect you over tonight.”

“Picked something up for you.” He hands her the box and she smiles brightly as she opens it.  There’s a tiny teddy bear, wearing a Captain America uniform and a little shield.  Peggy stares at it for a long moment, her eyes misting over.  Natasha sets down her tea and gets up from the couch, pulling Peggy into a warm embrace.  Peggy holds herself against Natasha for a long moment.

“Thank you Trip sweetie.” She pulls Trip into the hug and he holds Peggy and Natasha close in his strong arms.  Sharon gets up from the couch and slips into the hug.

O.O

                Natasha refuses to cry, but she’s known Peggy since she was seventeen, and the woman is her closest friend and the closest thing to a mother she can remember.  She’s lying in bed, a book on her lap, and staring absently out the window.  Natasha’s in a chair next to her bed, holding her hand.

“Hey Pegs?” Peggy takes a moment to refocus on Natasha.

“Oh darling?  When did you get here?”  Natasha refuses to cry.  Natasha refuses to cry.

“Just got here Pegs.” It’s a lie.  A blatant lie, but Natasha is good at this and Peggy isn’t as good as she used to be.  Peggy pats her hands.

“Oh I’m glad you’re here sweetheart.  Could you make some Earl Grey?  Sharon stopped by with some yesterday.”  _No,_ Natasha thinks, _Sharon stopped by last week._ Natasha refuses to cry.

“Of course Pegs.” She kisses her hand and gets up to make their tea.  Peggy stares back at the window.  She has a nice view at least, Sharon and Trip and Natasha made sure of that; Natasha still gets a little grin every time she thinks of Sharon not-so-subtly threatening the staff until Peggy got the best room in the place.  Natasha refuses to cry.  She pours the tea and brings Peggy her cup, settling down comfortably next to her.

“How’s Strike Team Delta?” Peggy asks suddenly.  Natasha sets her teacup down.

“We’re wonderful Pegs.”  Peggy smiles.

“That’s good darling.  Clint’s a good boy.  Has he figured out that you know how to use a bow yet?” Clint taught her how to use a bow over a decade ago.  Natasha refuses to cry.  She smiles sadly and plays along.

“No Pegs, he hasn’t figured it out yet.”  Peggy laughs lightly.

“That boy.” She says fondly, shaking her head.  Natasha nods along.

“Yeah, I’m pretty fond of him too Pegs.”  Peggy nods along slowly, agreeing with Natasha’s assessment of her partner.

“You know I love you, right Natasha?”  Natasha nods, she refuses to cry.

“I know you do Pegs.  I love you too.”  Peggy does start to cry, small tears making their way silently down her cheeks, she acts as if she doesn’t even notice them, so Natasha doesn’t say anything either.

“You’re like a daughter to me Natasha, you know that?”  Natasha nods.

“Thank you Peggy.  You’re like a mother to me, you raised me with your family, invited me to every holiday, you taught me everything you know.  I really do love you Peggy.”

“You’re going to take care of Sharon and Trip for me, right Natasha?”  Natasha nods.

“Of course Pegs.  It’ll be my highest priority mission.”  Peggy nods, somewhat choked up.

“You’re going to protect SHIELD for me too?”  Natasha nods.

“To my grave.”  Peggy laughs quietly.

“At least protect it to my grave darling.”

O.O

“What’re you up to tonight Steve?”

“Just visiting a friend.” Natasha nods along, pretending to accept the newest in a long line of Steve’s see-through excuses.

                Natasha visits Peggy that night, and is told by one of the nurses that _Mrs. Carter has a visitor is there any way you can come back?_ and Natasha pushes past her and into Peggy’s room.  Steve’s in there.  Sitting in the chair Natasha usually occupies.  She freezes in the doorway and both Steve and Peggy turn to stare at her.

“Oh god.” She breathes.  She should’ve known Steve would track her down and come to visit her.  Steve stands up from the chair, immediately on the defense.

“What’re you doing here Natasha?”

“Oh Steve you have to meet her.  This is Natasha Romanoff.  She’s a sweetheart.  Oh!   You should join us for Christmas this year Steve!  It’ll be wonderful, the kids will come over and Nat darling can bring Bird Boy and we’ll have a grand time.”  Steve looks like his heart may shatter.  Natasha steps into the room and picks up one of Peggy’s hands, pressing a kiss to her delicate skin.

“Yeah we’ll have Steve over this year Pegs.  It’ll be great.”

“Be a dear and put the kettle on will you?”

“Of course Pegs.” Natasha walks past Steve to put the kettle on, and lets the two of them have their privacy.  She tries not to listen, but it’s not exactly a large space.

“How do you know Natasha?” Steve asks in a hissed whisper.

“You know Natasha?” Peggy counters.

“I work with her Peggy.  How do you know her?”

“I work with her, I’ve raised her since she was seventeen.”

“You’ve known her since she was seventeen?”  Peggy smiles.

“One of my agents brought in a rogue KGB agent, she was seventeen and we became fast friends.”

“She’s like my best friend and my mother.” Natasha interjects, walking over with Peggy’s tea in hand.  Steve looks at her in surprise.  Natasha points a finger accusingly at him.  “Don’t think I’m here to open up to you Rogers.” Peggy grins.

“Oh you two are going to get on so well.”

“Bickering like siblings.” Natasha adds with a small smile.

O.O

                Bucky is gone and SHIELD is dead and Steve and Natasha are wordlessly racing to Peggy.  She’s in her bed, sleeping soundly, and Natasha and Steve sit next to her and calm themselves listening to her steady breathing.  She finally wakes up and immediately takes Natasha’s hand.

“You’re safe.”

“Yeah Pegs, Steve and I are safe.” She looks over at Steve, as if noticing him for the first time.

“Steve!” She sits up and grabs his hands, and Steve presses kisses to her shaking hands.  “Oh god you’re alive.”

“Yeah Pegs, I’m alive.”  Peggy is tearing up, and so is Steve, his voice cracking.  Natasha refuses to cry.

O.O

                There’s a Christmas card in the mail, a picture of a young redhead with wild curls and an older woman with a loose grey bun with their arms around each other, grinning in the middle of Central Park.  There’s a note attached to it.

_Pegs,_

_I love you.  I really do.  You raised me long after I’d given up on being raised into a competent adult, and you gave me the love I never thought I deserved.  You’re my best friend and the woman who was my mother after I lost all family I had ever known.  I’m sorry I can’t be home for Christmas this year, but I’m still on the run and there’s a lot of work that Steve and I have to do.  I’m not sure when you’ll get this, but I hope you’ll have a wonderful holiday and I hope that you get my gift in time._

_Love,_

_Darling Nat_

                Peggy refuses to cry.  She promises herself she won’t.  But they’re so much younger in that picture and their worlds have yet to come crashing down about them for the second time.  Peggy cries.


End file.
